ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai was pushed all the way, but managed to hang on to his world title after a closely-contested rematch with “Smokin” Jo Nattawut at ONE 167 in Bangkok.
The pair faced off in the main event at the Impact Arena and treated the fans to a back-and-forth battle that went all the way to the judges’ scorecards.
Tawanchai started fast as he pushed the pace on the challenger through the opening two rounds, but by Round 3, Nattawut was well and truly in the fight as he stunned the champion with heavy shots and forced Tawanchai into retreat for the first time in the contest.
It set up a tense final two rounds and, when the action came to a close, the general feeling was that a new champion could be about to be crowned. But, when the scorecards were read, it was Tawanchai who retained his title via majority decision. One judge scored the bout even at 48-48, while the other two saw Tawanchai edging it 48-47 and 49-46.
The judges’ verdict did not go down well with the Bangkok crowd, who booed the result as Tawanchai was presented with the championship belt.
Chatri Sityodtong calls for Atlanta rematch
After the fight, ONE Championship president Chatri Sityodtong told the assembled media that he thought the wrong man had been given the victory.
“I thought Jo Nattawut won,” he said.
“It was a very close fight – very close. But I thought Jo did enough to win.
“For me, I would have gone to damage. Tawanchai had more damage on him than Jo did. But, I want to do a rematch in Atlanta. That’s the home of where Jo Nattawut is, and that would be amazing.”
Rodtang claims decision win after turbulent fight week
After a tough fight week that saw him miss weight for his matchup, Muay Thai superstar Rodtang claimed victory in his bout with Denis Puric in their catchweight kickboxing contest.
Despite competing under kickboxing rules rather than his usual Muay Thai, Rodtang adapted his skills well and battered Puric with strikes in his usual high-intensity style and by the third round he was well ahead on the scorecards.
Puric rallied in the final frame as he emptied the tank in a bid to turn the fight in his favour, but Rodtang met fire with fire in an exciting finale as the bout went to the judges’ scorecards, with “The Iron Man” claiming the unanimous decision victory.
The best of the rest
Also on the card, grappling ace Mikey Musumeci showcased his skills on the mat with a calf slicer submission of Gabriel Sousa three minutes into their submission grappling contest, while fellow grappler Kane Ruotolo swapped grappling rules for MMA and defeated Blake Cooper via first-round rear-naked choke.
There were also notable victories for Muay Thai striker Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, Denice Zamboanga, Adrian Lee and Victoria Souza on a night that saw Musumeci, Ruotolo and Lee earn $50,000 performance bonuses.
ONE 167: Official results
- Tawanchai PK Saenchai def. Jo Nattawut via majority decision – for ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title
- Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Denis Puric via unanimous decision – Muay Thai
- Mikey Musumeci def. Gabriel Sousa via submission (calf slicer) – Round 1, 3:007 – submission grappling
- Kade Ruotolo def. Blake Cooper via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:20 – MMA
- Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong def. Masaaki Noiri via unanimous decision – Muay Thai
- Denice Zamboanga def. Noelle Grandjean via unanimous decision – MMA
- Adrian Lee def. Antonio Mammarella via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:56 – MMA
- Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat def. Johan Ghazali via unanimous decision – Muay Thai
- Victoria Souza def. Itsuki Hirata via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:31 – MMA
- Johan Estupian def. Zafer Sayik via unanimous decision – Muay Thai
